


No goodbyes

by Avengeraadict



Category: Unwind Dystology - Neal Shusterman
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Air Force, F/M, Family Drama, military boeuf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-11-22 18:19:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11385756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avengeraadict/pseuds/Avengeraadict
Summary: Trace Neuhauser is an air force boeuf, who's got some major family problems. His sister was a stork, and he was always his parents favorite, while she was treated as less than human. After leaving for the air force for two years, Trace returns only to be met with heart breaking news.





	No goodbyes

**Author's Note:**

> Idk what this is but there are barely any unwind fanfics and half of them aren’t even unwind and they’re like other fandoms in like the unwind world n shit so whatevs. Considering we don’t know much about Trace, and don’t even know if the whole thing about his sister being unwound was true or not,or if he even has a sister, and if he does we don’t know jackshit about her, but let’s just pretend because Trace is my precious baby who fucking deserved better. Also none of this about Trace’s parents is probably accurate, it’s just how I always pictured them. Anyway hope Y’all like ;)
> 
> -Also note that I do not own the Unwind series or any of the characters(Actually I just made all of them up except for Trace...). All creds to Neal Shusterman.

The bus back home was quiet, as usual. They always were. No one knew what to say to each other, after spending months in a war zone and fighting to survive, everything was different. Some of the boeuf tried to engage in small talk with one another every once in awhile but it usually ended with an awkward silence. Trace always found himself in the front of the bus by a window, watching as the streets fly by. He had always loved flying, the feeling of being above the clouds and controlling an entire vessel with his own two hands. The solitude was therapeutic and helped him stay sane while rocketing through a war zone. In its own way, being in the air force helped him to stay human. 

Trace hadn’t seen his family in two years now, and for the entire flight back plus the bus ride to the station, they were the only thing he could think about. His younger sister had just turned 16 a few weeks ago and he was coming back as a surprise for her. He hadn’t told anyone that he was returning in order to keep it a surprise. 

Cali had always been the more rebellious type, but she knew how to make him smile even on the darkest days. Cali was a stork that had been dropped off at the Neuhauser’s door when Trace was 7. Trace had been more than happy to welcome her to the family, while his parents, on the other hand, weren’t too thrilled. In his parent's eyes, Cali had always been the misfit child who could never do anything right. They fought with her all the time, and she would often storm out of the house and return late at night after doing God knows what. She wasn’t perfect but Trace loved her more than anything. His parents had always seen him as the golden child while pushing her aside, so he had always made her the center of his world. 

When he left for the army his sister had broken down on the floor crying and begged him to stay. He promised her he would come back to her safely, but even at that Cali seemed troubled. Without Trace, she was left to endure their parent's wrath, and Trace wouldn’t be there to stop it. Their parents had never physically hurt her, but hell did they know how to verbally abuse her. They’d always compare her to Trace and make sure she knew that he was their child and she wasn’t. 

As the bus pulled up to the stop, there were tons of families with posters, and banners, and balloons, waiting for their returning loved ones. None of them were here for Trace. Of course, he knew that he wouldn’t get the satisfaction of seeing his family standing out there and waiting for him, with it being a surprise and all. Yet he still felt a wave of disappointment as he got off the bus and scanned the crowd to see only one family he recognized. The Mcgowen’s had a daughter in the army as well, and they also just so happened to live in the same neighborhood as Trace’s family. He had never really talked to them before, but in the crowd of people he had never met he considered them as friendly faces. Although it didn’t seem like the feeling was mutual. Once their daughter, Melissa, had caught sight of Trace she immediately tensed and was quick to inform her parents, whom then whispered among one another. He didn’t see it as much at the time and decided to ignore them.

The Neuhauser’s front porch had a weaving brick path up to the doorstep, filled with colorful bushes and flowers, along with an American flag hanging from a window. Trace smiled, looking up to see that the flag was hanging from Cali’s window. As he walked up to the door he heard the sound of his obviously troubled parents talking over the phone. He rang the doorbell and there was a series of gasps and rushed goodbyes before he heard the lock click. His mother opened the door and made an all too fake gasp before throwing her arms around his neck. Trace smiled softly and hugged her back, but something was very obviously wrong. 

His mother released him after a few moments and his dad replaced her and gave him a rougher hug.

“No warning, nothing? Not even a heads up so I could clean the house before you got here?” his mom asked with a smile.

“Well it was supposed to be a surprise” Trace answered back, going along with them and pretending he didn’t suspect anything was wrong.

His dad quickly pulled him into the house and locked the door behind him, shooting his wife a glare from behind Trace’s back. 

Trace turned to the stairs and then looked back at his mother, who had already made her way to the kitchen and was pouring a glass of wine for the three of them. He entered with a soft smile as his dad urged him into the room with a hand on his back. 

After pouring the glasses his mother looked up at him one more time, with soggy eyes.

“I can’t believe it. My beautiful boy, finally back” she said, placing a hand on his cheek. Trace put his hand over hers for a moment before sighing and pulling it down.

“As much, as I’m glad to see you guys. You couldn’t have thought that I wouldn’t notice something’s wrong.” He said, looking back between his mother and father “First off, where the hell is Cali? Second, why were the Mcgowen’s looking at me like I had just blown up a building? Third, who were Y'all talking to on the phone before I got here?”

His mother sighed and looked up desperately to her husband.

“He deserves to know” He answered.

Trace looked between the two once more before asking “Know what?”

His mother took a deep breath before looking back at Trace “Cali.. had... Um… Well, she did some stuff. Ok. Some..some very bad stuff. The juveys got involved, and we tried grounding her, and..and taking her phone away, and locking her in her room, but...nothing worked… She kept sneaking out and then, returning in the back of a police cruiser. So.. we finally came to the decision...that it was best we didn’t risk something bad happening to her, or her..hurting someone else.. Or..or worse. So…me and your father had a long discussion...and…last night the juveys came to take her to Wood Hollow Harvest camp.” 

Trace forced a soft laughed and looked at his mother in disbelief “You’re kidding..”

“We didn’t know what to do, she was getting out of hand and..and…” His mother pleaded, but Trace couldn’t even look at her anymore. He turned to the wall and closed his eyes, pressing a hand to his forehead.

“This isn’t happening” he whispered to himself, shaking his head.

“Trace, you have to understand. We didn’t know what all she was doing out there. She could have been hurting people.We couldn’t live knowing one of our children was out there risking his life to save others, while the other was throwing herself on the street and doing the complete opposite.” His father explained

“Oh.No.No don’t you dare turn this on me like that.” Trace snapped with teary eyes, full of hurt, and betrayal “She snuck out to get away from you. Cali would never, ever hurt someone. She snuck out because she didn’t know how to put up with you two bastards treating her like she was less than human!” 

“Trace please-” his mother begged, putting an arm on his shoulder, which he immediately shoved away.

“No. Don’t..Don’t...touch me.” he said, turning away from his parents and closing his eyes to try and hold down his tears. He leaned a hand on the side of the door frame in the kitchen to make sure he didn’t collapse onto the floor. Behind him, his mother was sniffling while his father did his best to comfort her. He opened his eyes and looked up at the stairs for a moment, holding his breath. Memories of his sister flooded through him and he couldn’t bare it.

“Did you even have to think about it? Did you even care,that..that this was the child that you raised, and that you were sending her to be ripped apart and shipped all over the planet?” Trace asked, turning back to his parents with watery eyes.

“Trace. Unwinding is not some savage thing. Think about the heartland war. Think about how many people were killed by feral teens.” His father explained, with barely an ounce of emotion.

“Cali wasn’t a feral teen. She was an innocent, sweet, caring daughter. Your daughter. She was your child. Your child that you sent to die.” 

“No Trace, you’re our child. Don’t act like you didn’t know, she wasn’t one of us. Maybe it was just.. Just fate! Maybe her real mother knew she would turn out like this, and that’s why she left her!” His mother answered

“Are you even listening to yourself! You know, if you had taken even a second to try and.. I don’t know, talk to her. See how she felt about things, or maybe, treated her more like a human being rather than some lost dog that was dropped on your doorstep, maybe she would have been that perfect child you always wanted!”

“We already have the perfect child, Trace. You.. You’re the most important thing in the world to us. Cali is better off like this. She’ll live on in the div-” his father started, with only a trace of sympathy in his voice, before Trace cut him off. 

“Divided state, yeah yeah i know. I’ve heard all the commercials.” He sighed and turned back to look at the door. The same door that, 16 years ago he opened to find a small baby, wrapped in a pink blanket. 

“I never got to say goodbye..” He whispered, a tear strolling down his cheek as he looked at that cursed door.

**Author's Note:**

> Well what'd you guys think?? Tbh I was getting relly fucking emotional writing this ;-;  
> Poor Trace, he deserved so much better :,(
> 
> But please if Y'all have any CONSTRUCTIVE criticism feel free to leave them in the comments!! Cause I honestly suck at writing ok.


End file.
